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Scale economies in pension fund investments: A dissection of investment costs across asset classes

Author

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  • Broeders, Dirk W.G.A.
  • van Oord, Arco
  • Rijsbergen, David R.

Abstract

Using a unique dataset of 225 Dutch occupational pension funds with a total of 928 billion euro of assets under management, we provide a comprehensive cross-sectional analysis of the relation between investment costs and pension fund size. Our dataset is free from self-reporting biases and decomposes investment costs for 6 asset classes in management costs and performance fees. We find that a pension fund that has 10 times more assets under management on average reports 7.67 basis points lower annual investment costs. Economies of scale differ per asset class. We find significant economies of scale in fixed income, equity and commodity portfolios, but not in real estate investments, private equity and hedge funds. We also find that large pension funds pay significantly higher performance fees for equity, private equity and hedge fund investments.

Suggested Citation

  • Broeders, Dirk W.G.A. & van Oord, Arco & Rijsbergen, David R., 2016. "Scale economies in pension fund investments: A dissection of investment costs across asset classes," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 147-171.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jimfin:v:67:y:2016:i:c:p:147-171
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jimonfin.2016.04.003
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    Cited by:

    1. Mercedes Alda, 2021. "The dilemma between fund‐style consistency and active management over the economic cycle. Evidence from pension funds," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(2), pages 2219-2240, April.
    2. Ravit Rubinstein-Levi, 2021. "Disadvantaged Employees in the Trap of Defined Contribution Pension Plans," International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), vol. 0(4), pages 55-76.
    3. Jacob A. Bikker & Jeroen J. Meringa, 2022. "Have scale effects on cost margins of pension fund investment portfolios disappeared?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(39), pages 4501-4518, August.
    4. Broeders, Dirk W.G.A. & van Oord, Arco & Rijsbergen, David R., 2019. "Does it pay to pay performance fees? Empirical evidence from Dutch pension funds," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 299-312.
    5. Jansen, Kristy, 2021. "Essays on institutional investors, portfolio choice, and asset prices," Other publications TiSEM fd998408-d282-4e0f-b542-4, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    6. Hollanders, David, 2016. "Asset Management Costs and Financial Performance of Dutch Pension Funds in 2011-2014," Other publications TiSEM db6a1950-5d81-4e41-b035-f, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    7. Lučivjanská, Katarína & Lyócsa, Štefan & Radvanský, Marek & Širaňová, Mária, 2022. "Return adjusted charge ratios: What drives fees and costs of pension schemes?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    8. Lanying Sun & Changhao Su & Xinghui Xian, 2020. "Assessing the Sustainability of China’s Basic Pension Funding for Urban and Rural Residents," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-17, April.
    9. Broeders, Dirk W. G. A. & Jansen, Kristy A. E. & Werker, Bas J. M., 2021. "Pension fund's illiquid assets allocation under liquidity and capital requirements," Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(1), pages 102-124, January.
    10. Dirk Broeders & Kristy Jansen & Bas Werker, 2017. "Pension fund's illiquid assets allocation under liquidity and capital constraints," DNB Working Papers 555, Netherlands Central Bank, Research Department.
    11. Hlobil, T.M. & van Leuvensteijn, M., 2020. "Combining investment advice and asset management," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Pension funds; Asset management; Management costs; Performance fees;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors

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